Toronto police say a man has been shot in a police-involved shooting in the city’s east end on Wednesday.
The Special Investigation’s Unit, known as Ontario’s police watchdog, said in an update that the 40-year-old man has died.
“The SIU is investigating after a police officer fatally shot a man today,” a spokesperson said in an email to Global News.
The SIU said someone had flagged down a Toronto Police officer after seeing a man in distress at the back of the Shoppers World on Danforth Avenue near Victoria Park at around noon.
Investigators said an officer had discharged their firearm following an interaction and a man was shot.
Paramedics said they had transported a man in life-threatening condition to a trauma centre. He later died in hospital.
A witness told Global News when the officer approached the man, the man began walking towards him “quite quickly.”
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“The officer gave several directions to drop the weapon that was in his hand,” the witness said. “The gentleman did not drop the weapon. The officer tried to back away as quickly as he could. And if I remember correctly, he tried to do a little turnaround to see where else he could run.”
The witness said the man then “really sped up his walking pace” which is when the officer pulled out his firearm.
According to the witness, the officer allegedly “gave him some further warnings to drop the weapon.”
“But the man continued to walk at a very quick speed towards the officer and the officer shot him twice,” the witness said.
The witness said he believed the man was shot twice in the abdomen.
The SIU has invoked its mandate and is investigating. The SIU is an independent agency that investigates the conduct of Ontario police officers in incidents that cause serious injury, death or alleged sexual assault.
-with files from Global News’ Hannah Jackson
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